Agenda

Wednesday, May 17

Learn to deliver business presentations that give you a negotiating edge, close deals, drive sales, and allow you to rise above your competition. Here's your chance to gain stellar advice on the art of selling, leading, connecting, and building trust. You'll gain real-world strategies to efficiently increase positivity, productivity, and profitability for successful results that can be felt companywide.

Enjoy a Fireside Chat with Mayor Sylvester Turner and NBA Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Clyde Drexler. In an in-depth two-on-one, the Mayor and the NBA legend discuss why the nation's fourth largest city provides the best environment for black businesses to launch, expand and relocate.

Thursday, May 18

Trying to figure out the best way to launch and grow your business? Need guidance to continue your venture despite roadblocks? In this inspirational and instructive talk, Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell shares with you the dedication and action steps needed to succeed in business whether you're engaged in a startup or seeking to advance an established business. He will communicate how to develop a strategic plan, build a network, and apply a tenacious spirit to meet your goals.

Learn how to maximize opportunities to secure capital to launch or grow your business from an active angel investor. Like finding the right mate, finding the right investor requires due diligence--understanding turn-ons and turn-offs. Plenty of smart, dedicated, and passionate entrepreneurs with promising viable business ideas have lost out on opportunities or money due to horrible presentations. Bonin Bough, the host of CNBC's Cleveland Hustles, the author of Txt Me, and the self-described "agent provocateur," will share his passion and provide insight on innovation, entrepreneurial endeavors, and early-stage funding. As an award-winning marketing executive, Bough has influenced many innovative global media investments across digital, television, and print.

Raising capital is one of the most challenging aspects of entrepreneurship. Leading banking experts and entrepreneurs who have secured financing will lead a discussion on traditional and nontraditional capital sources small business owners can tap into. We'll show you how to build a banking relationship and stack the odds in your favor before going to meet with a lending institution.

As technology in the information age continues to advance, entrepreneurs have to be ready to leverage it - from using it to better understand financial essentials to new and innovative ways to reach customers. Join Nationwide as we discuss ways to make your business more successful through solid financial principles and the use of technology for marketing, branding and customer engagement so that your business can continue to grow profitably.

You have a website and you're using social media -- and so is everyone else. If you need to know how to leverage your online presence so that your brand and offerings are clearly defined and optimally positioned to attract paying customers to your business, this session is for you. BONUS: Meet the winners of the 2016 FedEx Small Business Grant Contest and pick their brains for their secrets to success. DOUBLE-BONUS: Session attendees will have a chance to win a complimentary registration to the 2017 Black Men Xcel Summit in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida!

Whether going independent or partnering with a large distributor like Walmart, there is still a huge appetite for new products in the super-competitive food and beverage industry, especially for uniquely branded specialty products. Learn from two Grammy-award winning legends what it takes to get products into the marketplace, on the shelves, and into the hands, mouths-and hearts-of consumers.

You're going to find yourself in an elevator with someone who can change it all for your business. Will you pounce, or let the moment slip? Find out if you have that winning game at BE's exclusive Elevator Pitch competition. By far, our most anticipated and widely popular event of the Summit, entrepreneurs get to bring their best business pitch and go head-to-head with fellow finalists before a panel of judges. A fast-paced and enlightening high stakes competition, it's instructive for participants and observers alike.

Friday, May 19

Sometimes it haunts you from the back of your mind, on the outskirts of your consciousness. Other times, it's staring you in the face, daring you to back down and give up on pursuing your vision. Every entrepreneur and business owner knows and lives with it: FEAR. Acclaimed author, entrepreneur and actor Hill Harper delivers a powerful talk on how to not only conquer your fears but to harness it as fuel to smash through doubts, blow past your goals, and do whatever it takes to deliver value - and profits - as you lead and grow your business.

With holdings in Nigeria, South Africa, England and the Cayman Islands, Houston-based CAMAC International has set a high standard as a global, diversified company focused on energy exploration and production. Founder and Chairman Kase Lawal led the multi-billion dollar company to the top of the ranks of the nation's largest black-owned business, including earning BLACK ENTERPRISE Company of the Year honors in 2006. Now, his brother, Kamoru Lawal, leads the company as President and CEO. As rapidly changing technological and logistical advances continue to make the world smaller, no entrepreneur who is serious about pursuing opportunity and profits in the global marketplace should miss this candid, eye-opening conversation.

A number of major technological developments and trends are having a significant bearing on our everyday lives. Staying informed on the latest trends in small business is crucial to maintaining relevance in the ever-evolving world of commerce. This panel of forward-thinking founders shares how their startups are filling growing niches both here and abroad.

In this presentation, Ramon Ray shares from personal experience how solo professionals and growing businesses can build their personal brands and crush their competition. Attendees learn the five (5) key principles it takes to have star power in their local markets and areas of expertise. A strong personal brand ensures YOUR brand is first and foremost in the minds of your target market. While a "corporate brand" is important, it's also essential that business professionals have PERSONAL brands that can complement and enhance their corporate brands. Attendees will leave this insightful, energized, and humorous presentation with specific tools and best practices.

This powerful session is custom designed for established entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners who want to pursue opportunities in the world of fashion. It takes more than a sense of style and a air for design to build a sustainable and protable fashion enterprise to keep up with the latest trends and the demands of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and consumers. If you want to understand everything from design and overseas production to sourcing and pricing, you won't want to miss this session with two entrepreneurs who are excelling with design innovation and business savvy.

For 45 years, BLACK ENTERPRISE has ranked and chronicled the BE 100S - its exclusive listing of the nation's largest black businesses. Join us as we celebrate CEOs who are among the wealthiest and most powerful players in the black business community, for their inspiring achievements.

About this conference

This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the BLACK ENTERPRISE Entrepreneurs Summit, which will take place May 17-20, 2017 at the Marriott Marquis Houston. The summit is one of the nation's largest gatherings of entrepreneurs attended by more than 1,000 business leaders. This year's summit highlights include the celebration and awards ceremony honoring the 45th anniversary of the BE 100s-the annual ranking of the nation's largest black businesses with combined revenues over $40 billion.

About Black Enterprise

BLACK ENTERPRISE is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Since 1970, BLACK ENTERPRISE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers.